He’s an animal when it comes to comedy. Another SNL alum to make it to big screen stardom, Rob Schneider got his first chance to carry a film with Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, a mistaken identity comedy that was commercially popular. The diminutive Schneider got his start in comedy in high school. He began writing sketches when he was 15 and also began appearing at local comedy venues. Following high school graduation, the fledgling comedian set off for Europe, where he traveled for a few months until he was robbed in Paris. Scraping together enough cash to make it back to the U.S., Schneider returned to San Francisco and renewed his determination to make it as a comedian. He quickly became active on the comedy circuit, opening for such luminaries as Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, and Dana Carvey. Schneider got his big break in 1990, when he was discovered by SNL producer Lorne Michaels while performing on an HBO comedy special. He was hired on as a writer for SNL in 1991, but he soon began performing his own material as well as writing it. He earned great popularity and lasting fame for his characterizations of “Richard “the Richmeister” Laymer” and “The Sensitive Naked Man,” as well as various celebrity impersonations. Schneider stayed with the show until the end of the 1993-1994 season, when he decided to quit in order to pursue his film career. Following his departure from SNL, Schneider had a sizable supporting role in the Sylvester Stallone vehicle Judge Dredd. In 1996, the comedian returned to television as one of the stars of the short-lived sitcom Men Behaving Badly, but he continued to focus much of his energy on a film career. After appearing in The Waterboy and Big Daddy, two wildly successful comedies starring fellow SNL alum Adam Sandler, Schneider starred as the titular hero of Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, a fish tank cleaner who assumes the identity of a high-living gigolo. Deuce Bigalow did good business in theaters and found a niche after it’s subsequent release on home video, prompting Schneider to prepare a sophomore effort, The Animal. Schneider’s tale of a car accident victim imbued with superhuman powers after being pieced back together with animal organs kept audiences rolling. Recent credits include The Ridiculous 6 and The Adventures of Panda Warrior. Rob Schneider continues to keep audiences rolling and is one of the best.
